Happy August!

We did it! We hosted another successful event, the Summer Splash at Polaris!

We served approximately 450 ice cream sandwiches and 5 whole watermelons!

A conservative estimate for the number of attendees is 400, at least 100 more than attended the pizza party a few months ago. Although this may feel like a small increase, there are two factors worth considering.

First, this event was clearly advertised as a union event. We even heard a couple of people say that their manager had told the team they couldn’t attend. That is a violation of the National Labor Relations Act (section 8(a)(1)), but how many of us employees are aware of that?

Second, this event was held outside, on the opposite side of the building from where most people sit. The pizza party was directly next to many people’s desks, and even those who had not seen signs saw the piles of pizza pass by, tempting them to follow.

The fact that we saw more people show up despite these two factors is a huge win!

Of course, we know there is always room to improve, and we have learned some valuable lessons.

Lessons Learned

Our biggest lesson was simply around time and numbers. A handful of us did all of the work for this event in two weeks.

While that clearly works to some extent, it leads to some of us pushing ourselves too hard and then having to take some time away from organizing to rest.

We cannot treat unionizing a company this huge as a sprint, or even a series of sprints. It is a marathon, or perhaps more accurately, a very long relay race.

Truthfully, the event would have been a bigger success if more people were involved in planning and preparation.

Particularly, there were not enough people hanging posters and folding booklets.

Of course, having plenty of people hanging posters does very little when they are actively being removed.

To help with this, we have talked about a staggered lunch, where the first shift hangs posters and following shifts keep an eye out until those posters are removed. If the removal of posters can be recorded and shown to be a violation of the NLRA, we can open an unfair labor practice violation.

We’ve also learned that frozen handouts are difficult. Until we have the resources to do them properly, we will stick to handouts that are less temperature sensitive.

Further, at our next event, we will have some clicker counters. This allows for a comfortably anonymous number of attendees, so we can report our successes more accurately.

From our very own Nic Welch:

Be mindful of your own energy… you’re no good to us dead! This is a MASSIVE task, if it was easy everyone would be doing it. Be able to talk about the benefits of unionization, be able to confirm that it is LEGAL and PROTECTED and that you have the absolute right to discuss working conditions with your coworkers and to advocate for yourself. Talk about bargaining units, share ideas on how to establish such a thing. Participate as much or as little as you like… but DO SOMETHING!

Note: One of those working conditions we’re allowed to discuss is salary. No matter how “rude” your managers may call it, that discussion adds transparency and a point of reference. This lets people get a better idea of whether there are discriminatory practices happening in the setting of salaries.

Union Dues

The two most important pieces of information are:

1. Dues only start after we vote to ratify our union contract.
2. Dues are typically 1-2% of your salary, and they go toward things like:
   • Legal representation
   • Negotiating better contracts
   • Organizing efforts
   • Member benefits and services

What’s Next

As we move into the fall, we’re planning several key initiatives:

• Expanded Outreach: Reaching workers at additional JPMC locations
• Issue Campaigns: Launching focused campaigns around specific workplace concerns
• Community Events: Hosting more social and educational gatherings
• Legal Structure: Finalizing our organizational framework

How You Can Help

1. Join Our Discord: https://discord.gg/BZA3pxppq9
2. Attend Events: Come to our next community gathering
3. Share Your Story: Help us document workplace issues
4. Hang Posters: Help spread the word about organizing
5. Invite Colleagues: Bring your coworkers to our events

Stay Connected

• Discord: https://discord.gg/BZA3pxppq9
• Newsletter: Subscribe for regular updates
• Meetings: Weekly organizing sessions every Wednesday

Remember: Change doesn’t happen overnight, but every worker who joins our cause brings us closer to achieving better working conditions at JPMC.

Stay tuned for more updates, and let’s keep building momentum toward our goal of fair treatment and better working conditions!

Solidarity,
The JWA Team